17 Jan 2013
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Just how do you deal with a social menace that threatens the very foundations of a society? That’s the question that has been on the minds of Americans over the last few months. Anyone watching the aftermath of the senseless shooting of young children in the Sandy Hook disaster would think the same. Guns play such a powerful role in American culture, in Hollywood movies and TV. Try to think of a popular TV serial or a movie in which a gun did not figure – it is likely that there isn’t one.
Mindich’s Caliber Collection
While President Obama is trying to work out a plan to reduce gun violence by throwing in measures such as a ban on military style assault weapons and high capacity ammo clips, others are left wondering what is happening in a country with a very powerful gun lobby. Gun control advocates already worry that the opposition from the power packed National Rifle Association, among others, may mount.
But wait, some said, can we look at different, innovative ways to deal with this issue – using different platforms, different methods, yet achieve same results, that of saying no to guns on the streets, maybe actually contribute towards taking them off the streets.
Enter a Wonder Woman styled entrepreneur who is no stranger to activism - Jessica Mindich, a mother of two and a former lawyer who had founded ‘Jewellery for a Cause’. Jessica’s Caliber Collection puts a new spin on fashion jewellery. The collection includes shiny steel cuffs and bangles created from illegal guns taken off the streets of New Jersey by the police. Chic jewellery created with a clear message of participating in social responsibility.
There’s a message packed into her jewellery – each of them carries a serial number of a gun turned in. There’s power there because each one of those guns could have killed or maimed someone. Now they are off the streets and are safely melted down into elegant jewellery high street fashionistas would not hesitate to wear.
Making innovative changes
Each piece sells for around US$ 150 to 300 and a portion of the proceeds goes into funding more buy-back programmes for gun control. Under the programme, anyone can hand over an illegal gun for $200 cash and no questions are asked. In 2011 alone, more than 850 guns were turned in, according to a report on the collection.
At first, Mindich’s collection included brass bangles made from reused shell casings found at crime scenes. The concept of turning illegal guns into jewellery happened when she met the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey at a forum where various approaches to dealing with the gun issue came up. Mindich dived in with what she, a female entrepreneur who had already developed an innovative approach, had in mind. And the Caliber Collection was born.
There’s a lot to grasp here. Aside from the novelty and the uniqueness of the message, Mindich has been able to send out a clear signal to the fashion conscious of the city with her Caliber Collection. It takes everyone in society, at all levels, to make a change. Change cannot start with one section and stay there. If you want to do something about something wrong with your system or your city or the way things are done in your part of the world, get out there and dive in.
Do something constructive as Mindich did – with her expertise, her knowledge and her approach to fashion, a concept that adds novelty and imagination to something as deadly and dark as a gun, was created. The Caliber Collection also made the connection between the society as a whole and the guns turned in.
Corporate social responsibility
Mindich had always had an edge of philanthropy in her entrepreneur skills. She had already created stylish jewellery for issues ranging from Alzheimer’s to building drinking water wells in the developing world. By adding a dimension of corporate social responsibility to her collection, she has also empowered the end users with a message that says you are playing an active role in keeping the guns off the streets. By wearing her jewellery line, the customer gets the opportunity to become an activist directly connected with the police programme on buying back the illegal guns. Since some of the funds go back into funding more buy-back programmes, it provides the end user with a feel-good post-purchase involvement.
The guns are melted down at a factory before being sent to Mindich’s company for jewellery creation – she says her ten-year-old son was once afraid that box loads of guns may turn up on their door step on their way to being turned into jewellery. There is an almost endless supply, Mindich notes with sadness – she has already built up a loyal fan base comprising of gun violence victims and everyone else who is happy to wear jewellery that makes bold social statements.
There’s a lot to learn from her for us here in Sri Lanka. Having been through a culture of violence stemming from the civil war and having faced street level crime, most of us would be taken up with the concept of turning such issues into healing channels such as creating beautiful things and wearing them.
Maybe, just maybe, there are such concepts we can moot and develop into activities that could become excellent CSR modules, capable of turning objects of hate and social stigma into creations of elegance everyone would want to proudly show off.
(Nayomini, a senior journalist, writer and a PR professional can be contacted at
[email protected])
